Cocktail Hour: Yellow Chartreuse

If you’ve never tried Chartreuse before, you should…it’s good quality stuff. Still made by Carthusian monks using the method outlined in a secret manuscript given to them in 1605, it is essentially an herbal liqueur. The more readily available green version is sweet, pungent, and strong (55% alcohol). Served on ice, and sipped slowly, it goes down deceptively smoothly. It’s gentler cousin, yellow chartreuse, is both less strong (40%), and less assertive in terms of flavour. It tastes sweeter, and reminds one of honey on the tongue.